The job is not done yet in Afghanistan

Page Tools

Afghans, who go to the polls on the same day
as Australians, must not be abandoned.

Afghanistan and Australia both have elections on October 9. Given that Australian troops helped oust Afghanistan's Taliban regime, that should be a happy coincidence. Three years on, however, the very different circumstances of the elections suggest Australia has neglected its responsibilities in Afghanistan after a war that had bipartisan support.

Public debate has moved on to the war in Iraq: Prime Minister John Howard calls it the "front line" in the war on terrorism while Labor, which opposed the US-led invasion, says Australia should focus its efforts on its own region. Although Iraq is now embroiled in a terrorist conflict, Afghanistan was the original, clear sponsor of terrorists and was the base from which al-Qaeda mounted the September 11 attacks. That was why the first war in 2001 had United Nations endorsement.

The process of establishing democracy is more advanced in Afghanistan than in Iraq, but a Taliban-led insurgency is seriously disrupting attempts to elect a president. The Taliban and terrorist groups are also helping themselves to some of the proceeds from an explosion in opium production - last year's $3 billion crop accounted for two-thirds of the global heroin supply. Australia cannot ignore the re-emergence of such threats to its society and security.

Afghanistan's fate is crucial in the fight against terrorism, yet a country that endured three decades of conflict is again trapped in a "forgotten war". An undermanned NATO-led force has struggled to extend security beyond the capital, Kabul. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has voiced exasperation at "taking out my begging bowl ... as a standard operating procedure". At the end of June, the Afghan Government asked Australia to send troops (as New Zealand has).

Australia's response, limited to an increase in non-military aid, disappointed Afghanistan, as did the unilateral withdrawal of troops, despite pleas from Kabul, in late 2002. The troops left prematurely, even though Mr Howard in the leaders' debate on Sunday cited Afghanistan as a successful mission. Defence Minister Robert Hill has argued troops need a break from extended deployments, but barely 4 per cent of the defence force is on active duty overseas - the lowest level since before the East Timor operation in 1999.

Despite Afghanistan's obvious vulnerability and strategic value, neither side of politics seems willing to commit troops to secure the gains made possible by the past sacrifices and courage of Australian forces and Afghans themselves. Intimidation and killings aimed at discouraging registration have not stopped more than 90 per cent of eligible voters from signing up. Surveys have found more than three out of four voters believe this election "will make a difference", a display of faith that puts Australians to shame. But no amount of public legitimacy can give Afghanistan's leaders the capacity to stabilise and rebuild the country on their own. They need Australia's help again to finish the job.